what would it mean if your white blood cells are attacking your red blood cells?

Answer 1

It means you have autoimmune (or immune mediated) hemalytic anemia. The white blood cells have flagged the red blood cells as foreign. The WBCs destroy them just as they would a virus.

I lost a dog to this a 3 years ago. It was awful and I hope to never go through it again. She did live for another year after the initial diagnosis on high doses of Pred and occasional Azathioprine. It got pretty expensive, but it was worth it. When she wasn't sick, I made sure it was her best year ever. She went to a dog show and begged treats from many people, and she killed a bunny, definately the high point of her life.

Some dogs do recover and live for years, but the mortality rate is pretty high.

I still miss her terribly.

Answer 2

It is not Leukemia. Leukemia is a type of __cancer__ affecting the white blood cells (leukocyte). There are several types of leukemia, either acute or chronic and named after the type of white cell involved.

You ask, what would it mean if white cells are attacking your red cells?

If white blood cells (WBC) are attacking intact healthy red cells (RBC), then this is an autoimmune issue, but disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) can also be considered an 'attack'.

WBCs are the housekeeping system in the body and they normally recognize the body's own RBCs as 'self'. When the RBCs are old and broken, WBCs sweep them up and recycle them. This happens all day long in a healthy body.

Autoimmune stuff happens if intact RBCs acquire a factor that makes them seem to be alien. Attacks can be caused by genetics/mutation, by some environmental trigger such as trauma, a drug or toxin or parasite in the blood.

For DIC, if the plasma acquires some types of factors that stimulates clotting, then RBCs can be attacked just because the RBCs get trapped in a complicated chemical reaction in the body. Platelets (which are WBCs) form fibrin meshes when triggered by injury. Normally these meshes are first aid, and cause clotting almost as soon as you get a small cut on your skin. Meshes form a jellylike matrix so the bleeding stops.

If drug poisoning or some severe trauma happens, platelets can go haywire inside the body causing RBCs to get caught in clots in the veins, arteries, in organs, everywhere... the blood can't circulate and unless this reaction is stopped in time and the clots dissolved, death occurs.

Answer 3

Nope sorry everyone is wrong. I just graduated Nursing school and leukemia is when you have too many immature white blood cells and it doesn't leave room for your red blood cells. That doesn't mean that the white blood cells are consuming them. That means the animal has an autoimmune disorder where the body attacks itself. The red blood cells carry oxygen to everything and the white blood cells fight infection. In an autoimmune case the white blood cells see the red blood cells as invaders or bacteria and kill them. Thats not good at all, because that means that there arent enought red blood cells carrying oxygen, in turn starving the organs of oxygen to survive. For real I know what I'm talking about.

Answer 4

Autoimmune disease. And the people who said leukemia are stupid - that's a type of cancer that's when you have too many white blood cells.

Answer 5

i have a couple of ideas:
1. aids
2. the body is rejecting a blood transfusion of the wrong type

Answer 6

blood civil war

Answer 7

Leukaemia and faster see the doctor .

Answer 8

it is not lukemia. it is an autoimmune disease. auto-self. immune-thats where the WBCs come in.

Answer 9

Leukemia. Go to http://www.webmd.com.

Answer 10

infection